Leif Snyder

Leif Snyder has announced his candidacy for the Minot City Council.

He was born in Minot and currently lives in northeast Minot. He is a Minot High School graduate and attended Minot State University.

Following a sales career on the road, he returned to Minot and briefly worked as consultant and lobbyist for nonprofits and pushed for more transparency and clawbacks with regard to tax dollars used for economic development. He later worked as a carpenter.

Snyder served on the Minot Hockey Boosters Board of Directors and coached youth hockey in Minot for many years. He also coached the girls high school hockey team in Williston before starting the MSU Women’s College Hockey program.

Always one to pay attention to what the Minot City Council was doing, he said he decided to run for a seat after addressing the council to point out council violations of the MAGIC Fund guidelines. Some Minot Area Chamber EDC board members were receiving the benefits of those funds, which he found to be a conflict of interest.

Later the Minot City Council voted to approve the new guidelines that not only allow Chamber EDC board members to receive MAGIC Funds but allow a sitting member of the city council to also receive funds as long as the member declares a conflict and abstains on the vote. Snyder said he wants to concentrate on conflicts of interests and unfair tax incentives for some that ultimately raise taxes for others.